Crystal Dynamics: Tomb Raider reboot is “not just about one game”
James Pickard August 4, 2011 - 1:41 pmCrystal Dynamics are carefully planning all aspects of the new Tomb Raider to ensure there is a consistent plan for the franchise “for the next five to 10 years.”
Reboots can often be used as a casual and easy way to generate interest in a property that everyone has disregarded. However, Crystal Dynamics are going to great lengths to ensure the reimagining of Tomb Raider creates a whole new brand identity that lasts.
In an interview with Gamasutra, Crystal Dynamics brand manager, Kart Stewart explained, ”I think people underestimate the power of what brand does. People just see it as a role where you’re just marketing many different games. We treat it very seriously.”
“This is about looking to the future and making sure that this delivers so that there’s structure for that future. We’re wiping the slate clean.”
Exactly what steps is the studio taking to create a whole new identity for Lara and the Tomb Raider series, though?
“We look at the bigger picture of where we need to go and we mold out the entire franchise. It’s not just about one game. I think this is what’s key to us is that it’s not the game will ship and then we’ll move on the next game. Every single thing that we do is about making sure that there’s consistency in all of our mastery and thinking for the next five to 10 years,” Stewart said.
He hopes that this approach will be able to support the team’s passion to create a new identity for Lara - one that is strong and emotionally engaging.
“We’re building it, we’re emotionally attached to it, and we can bring the passion and the emotion to that in a way in which we’ve never seen before. We need to show people that it’s a character arc. That there’s real growth.”
Be sure to have a read of our Tomb Raider preview to see our early impressions of the reboot.
